This invention relates to a paint container and liner system and in particular to disposable liners that are flexible so that the liner can conform to the shape of the standard paint bucket and remain in place during use without being precisely contoured to the inside dimensions of the bucket.
Various improvements in materials and equipment for painting have been developed to facilitate what is unavoidably a messy task. Only a very few of these improvements have related to the environmental consequences such as the reduction in the amount of solvents that escape into the air when paint dries. As more is learned about the toxicity of even modern water-based paints, improvements in disposal of waste water and solvents from clean-up procedures need to be implemented to help meet even stricter environmental regulations. The proposed liner system of this invention would eliminate the use of water or solvents for clean-up of paint buckets. It will also reduce the landfill overuse problem by reducing the number of plastic buckets thrown away because of the difficulty in cleaning them.
The need for an easily used and readily disposable liner is apparent. However, while the need for a liner may be apparent, the use of a simple liner, (one that is economical such as the poly-bags which are produced in bulk and are flat for compact for shipment and storage) poses difficulties because the liner may lose its preferred position in a paint container. A paint brush is not simply dipped into the paint in a container, but is pressed and displaced against the wall of the container to distribute the desired quantity of paint on the brush, potentially displacing a liner. Maintaining a liner in a condition that conforms to the shape of the bucket adds to the ultimate value of a liner because it increases its utility. The combined liner and bucket functions in a manner that is similar to the unlined bucket during use, but has the advantage of facilitating cleanup and disposal of paint residue leaving the bucket immediately ready for reuse.
In one embodiment of the invention a group nested liners are installed in the paint bucket and incrementally used and disposed. These features contribute to a liner system that is both convenient to use and ecologically friendly.
The paint container and liner system of this invention is devised to line a container with a disposable, paint impervious liner to enable disposal of a liner together with any residue paint waste and to allow reuse of the container by relining the container with a clean liner. The liner may be used with a variety of containers such as a paint bucket. Successful use of the disposable liner system is in part dependent on the convenience of the system and the stability of the liner when installed in a container. Alternate methods of stabilizing one or more liners in a container are described.
Furthermore, to maintain the positioning of the liner around the perimeter of the container opening, the liner is attached to the outer portion of the container rim by one of a several means. This is best accomplished in the case of a cylindrical paint bucket by designing a liner that has the configuration of a substantially rectangular bag with an opening that is stretched to tightly fit around the rim of the paint bucket. Since the mouth of the bag is stretched slightly to be installed over the rim of the bucket, it is preferred that the bag has a resiliency to enable both a satisfactory engagement of the bag to the outside of the bucket rim, and to provide a sufficient circumference to the remaining part of the bag to maintain itself against the inside wall of the container. A simple plastic bag that is rectangular in construction with a sufficient dimension to conform to the perimeter of the container bottom is adequate.
However, in the embodiments where multiple liners are nested and installed as a group in a paint bucket, rectangular shaped bags, are installed in a radially staggered manner or have rounded bottom corners to prevent the bags from interlocking at the corners.
It has been found that with the proper use of a special installation implement such a plastic liner or group of liners can be press fit into a paint bucket with virtually all air eliminated from between the liner and the bucket. Because of the absence of air, the bag or bags stay stationed against the inside of the bucket and retain their position during use.
Preferably, the installation implement is a bucket-like plug having an outside dimension that is substantially the same as the inside dimension of the paint bucket. The bucket-like plug or plug bucket preferably has a deformable, e.g. foam, outside surface to accommodate folds and overlaps in the bag. Because the primary function of the plug bucket is the placing of the flexible liner into the paint bucket, the plug bucket""s exterior surface must be defined only by the shape of the interior of the bucket to be lined. Therefore, the plug bucket has no bail or reinforcing rim structure extending outside the rim like standard buckets. Instead, the reinforcing structure of the plug bucket is located inside the rim. In a preferred embodiment the lid of the plug bucket engages the interior reinforcing rim of the plug bucket so as not to create an obstruction on the outside of the plug bucket. The lid also has a dispensing hole for convenient storage and removal of flexible liners that can be sold separately from the plug bucket.
During installation, the flexible liner is first drawn over the exterior of the plug bucket. Second, the plug bucket contained within the flexible liner is pushed into the paint bucket firmly to evacuate the air from between the liner and the wall of the paint bucket. Third, the opened end of the flexible liner is stretched over the rim of the paint bucket to create the seal for preventing air entry between the liners and the inside bucket wall. Fourth, the plug bucket is removed, and the lined paint bucket is ready for use.
This suction process of adhering a liner to the container may be accomplished by the manufacturer with a plurality of liners nested within the container. When a plurality of liners are pre-installed, the liners are first installed over a mandrel. To prevent the corners of rectangular liners from interlocking the position of the liners are radially displaced from one another on the mandrel. The mandrel with the mounted liners is inserted into the paint bucket and the open top edge of the liners are stretched over the top rim of the bucket, preferably one at a time beginning with the outermost liner. In such embodiment a plurality of liners installed in a paint bucket can be maintained in position before use by a simple cardboard plug. The plug keeps the nested liners from puffing during the time before sale and use. Prior to use the cardboard plug is removed and discarded.
The system of liners is preferably combined with a stretchable bucket cap to keep paint temporarily contained in the bucket from drying. The liners and bucket cap can be provided as a kit together with a paint bucket. Additionally, replacement liners are provided for maintaining the usefulness of the kit and prolonging the life of the bucket before being discarded.
Successive use of the pre-installed liners would continue until the installed supply of liners was exhausted. The user may then adopt the manual installation system described. Alternately, the user may buy another bucket with multiple liners already installed.